Before finding her footing in the music industry, DiipSilence came to the US from China to finish a master degree in math. During Winter and Summer breaks she would find herself in New York exploring her second passion, music. After graduation DiipSilence took the leap and moved to Los Angeles to continue her studies in Audio Engineering and the rest is history.

NA: Who are you inspired by either musically or otherwise?
DiipSilence: I’m a big Trip-Hop music fan, artists like Massive Attach, Coco Rosie, and Jay-Jay Johanson, etc. are some of my biggest music influencers. I also inspired by musicians and technical geniuses such as Tim Exile and Richard Devine. Much like them, I enjoy discovering the technological world. Their thoughts in balancing the music with techniques are huge inspirations to me.

NA: How would you describe your creative process when putting a track together?
DiipSilence: I think sound design (plays a) huge part in my music. I record lots of field location sounds, which I designed my own instrument patches in Ableton with these samples I recorded. Then I’ll use the sound to describe a scene of the place. In the case of lyrics, my inspirations are from the ancient Chinese poem, they are generally very short; for instance, I can express my feeling in maybe under 20 words for the whole song. I love to sing less and leave more space for the instruments.

NA: What’s an average day like for you?
DiipSilence: My average day will be split into two parts, creating hours and non-creating hours. I usually write music in the morning and do other stuff after it, such as mixing, mastering, and music business. On the other hand, learning every day is a must, I usually watch some online classes or tutorials in the evening.

NA: Are there hidden meanings in any of your songs?
DiipSilence: A lot, yes lots of hidden meanings in my songs. One of the most important ones is I will use location sounds that I recorded during a trip, and then write a song based on that place. I also love using foley sounds [the reproduction of everyday sound effects added post-production] as well, I think everything can be music.

NA: Do you collaborate with others? What is that process like?
DiipSilence: Yes, I worked with varieties of musicians and music producers. I started my career as a mixing engineer, I met several song-writers by mixing their songs. But now I collaborate with them on the writing procedure as well, most of the songs are coming from a simple idea, a feeling. My strength is in the sound design and production side, my collaborators will usually have a demo or just a melody line with their ideas, we will start from there, build a structure based on the feel of the song. It also involves lots of exploring, lots of trying, especially playing with unique and unexpected sounds such as sharpening a knife, bird tweets, running on the ice and so on.

NA: What is the craziest interaction you’ve had with a fan?
DiipSilence: I mailed my own Chinese calligraphy to a fan, it feels like writing letters to a stranger. She/he took photos and message back to me. Well, it seems not a “crazy interaction” at all, but I love how quiet and powerful the “old ways” are.

NA: What is your favorite part about this line of work? Your least favorite? Why?
DiipSilence: Favorite: Playing with the sounds, tweak a sound to a completely unrecognizable instrument. This is always my favorite part because I feel like a magician, I can make everything into music. For example, waterdrop into 808 snares, white-noise into pitch varied hihat, cutting watermelon to a great pluck synth, I mean, everything can be music. Least favorite: Music business stuff and promotion. Just like every independent artist, I’m responsible for all aspects of my music which of course includes music business. I have to admit that I’m not good at promoting myself, but I’m on my way to learn the knowledge of music business.

NA: Have you ever dealt with performance anxiety?
DiipSilence: Yes, but not much. I love performing on stage, it’s more excitement than anxiety. I think the only way to deal with performance anxiety is to have enough practice and rehearse until I’m fully prepared. If so, even something goes wrong, I’ll not go panic but try to fix it.

NA: Do you have any pre-show rituals?
DiipSilence: Meditate, be grateful for the audience. I have a breath control ritual before I go on stage, I give myself two minutes to breathe with a particular frequency…This somehow will let me calm down and focus on the performance without anxiety.

NA: Tell me about your favorite performance venues or favorite recent show and why.
DiipSilence: My favorite performance venue is Walt Disney Concert Hall at Los Angeles. The reason is so simple, this place sounds fantastic!

DiipSilence, like many well know production artists, may hide behind images and even occassionally bandanas while performing on stage, but it’s clear that her music speaks for itself. Check out the new single “The Apocalypse” to hear for yourself.